ticketsMember | Make a donation

Philomela

John Gregory American, born England
1919–21, cast 1922
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 757
In the Greek myth, the gods transformed Philomela into a swallow and her sister Procne into a nightingale. Gregory, however, conformed to later interpretations of the myth and depicted the partially draped Philomela becoming a nightingale, growing highly decorative wings. The crouching figure, posed with remarkable torsion, is rhythmic and stylized, recalling the archaic Greek works admired by Gregory, Paul Manship, and other early-twentieth-century sculptors. The symmetry and frontality of this sculpture may be explained by the installation of the original lifesize Philomela against a garden wall at the estate of Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, in Westbury, Long Island.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Philomela
  • Artist: John Gregory (American (born England), London 1879–1958 New York)
  • Date: 1919–21, cast 1922
  • Medium: Bronze
  • Edition: cast no. 11
  • Dimensions: 12 1/8 × 9 1/8 × 4 1/8 in. (30.8 × 23.2 × 10.5 cm)
    Base: 2 × 8 × 5 1/2 in. (5.1 × 20.3 × 14 cm)
  • Classification: Sculpture
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1923
  • Object Number: 23.106.2
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Betrothal, John Gregory American, born England, Gold plated bronze
Betrothal
John Gregory
1939
Betrothal, John Gregory American, born England, Gold plated bronze
Betrothal
John Gregory
1939
Untitled, Robert Gober American, Bronze, shoe polish, plaster and painted resin
Untitled
Robert Gober
1994–2001
The Mete of the Muse, Fred Wilson American, Bronze, patina, paint
The Mete of the Muse
Fred Wilson
2006
Wallowa Mountains Memory, Variation, Kay WalkingStick American and Citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, Oil and gold leaf on wood panel
Wallowa Mountains Memory, Variation
Kay WalkingStick
2004

Related Content

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.